Wadiyars gather to unveil statue of Jayachamaraja at Hardinge Circle

Mysuru: Days after celebrating the wedding of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, titular head of the Mysuru royal family, the family members on Sunday came together for another celebration, when the statue of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the last maharaja of Mysuru, was unveiled.
The family, which spent almost a week in celebrations at Mysuru Palace and Bengaluru Palace, made the event special as CM Siddaramaiah unveiled the statue at Hardinge Circle, just outside the palace.
This comes a day ahead of the maharaja's 97th birth anniversary. After maharajas Chamaraja Wadiyar and Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar's statues, this is the third statue of the Mysuru maharaja installed just a few metres from each other. Incidentally, all three statues are located on Albert Victor road.
The Mysuru royal family members including Yaduveer and his wife Trishikha Kumari were the centre of attraction as the statue was unveiled. This is first public appearance of the royal couple after their wedding on June 27.
The maharaja's daughter Kamakshi Devi, son-in-law Athmanya Dev and daughter-in-law Pramoda Devi Wadiyar were among the members who attended the event.
Kamakshi Devi told TOI: "I'm happy that my father-in-law's statue has been installed in the city a day ahead of his birth anniversary. It has really come out well."
The sculptor has done a tremendous work and we are happy to be part of the event, Yaduveer told reporters. Asked if he would recommend the government to install a statue of late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, he said it is left to the government.
The Jayachamaraja Wadiyar statue at Hardinge Circle was sculpted out of a monolithic white marble imported from Austria by a merchant in Jaipur.
Arun Yogiraj, the sculptor who took nine months to complete the work, said, "The statue is 9 feet in height and 6 feet wide, while the pedestal measures 5 feet high and 4 feet broad. It weighs 28 tonnes. This is the first time artistes from Mysuru got the opportunity to sculpt a member of the Mysuru royal family."
The statues of maharajas Chamaraja Wadiyar and Krishnaraja Wadiyar were sculpted by artistes from London and Mumbai respectively, using Karora marble from Italy.
Arun, an MBA graduate who had offers from various software companies, turned them down and instead started assisting his father in sculpting. "I have a good number of orders and am earning more than what I would have been if I had opted for a salaried job. We can excel only through dedication and determination. I am passionate about sculpting," he said.
He has got orders from The Netherlands, USA, Australia, Sri Lanka, UK and Germany, among other countries. Along with his father Yogiraj Shilpi, he runs Kasyap Shilpa Kalanikethana, a school of sculpture, and trains interested youngsters.